Bridge work slated to start in 2026
While the exact dates are not known, the detour has been approved around work to replace the bridge over Fightingtown Creek on Madola Road.
The total length of the detour is about 10.1 miles, and it will be in place for up to 12 months, according to a notice from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).
While local traffic would still be able to access areas along Queen Road, the detour will redirect traffic in Epworth along Lickskillet Road then to Old State Route 2.
Joe Schulman said last week the contract for the bridge replacement is scheduled for an October letting. “Work will usually start about two months afterward, depending on scheduling and holidays,” he wrote in an email.
Schulman, who is the District 6 communications officer for GDOT, also explained the detour might not be in place from the very beginning of the project. Preliminary, preconstruction and environmental work will have to be completed first.
Building a new bridge over Fightingtown Creek is part of GDOT’s efforts to replace county owned bridges that are aging, deteriorating or do not meet current safety and design standards. “They don’t meet our use standards,” Schulman said.
Replacing these aging structures is “easier, cheaper to tear them down and start over,” he said.
The proposed bridge will be 165 feet by 38.25 feet with three spans, two 11-foot travel lanes and 6.5-feet shoulders. The project begins approximately 630 feet west of the Madola Road/Queen Road intersection and approximately 320 feet east of the same intersection, according to a GDOT announcement.